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A test tube, also known as a culture tube, sample tube, test flute or flaccid flute, is a piece of laboratory glassware
Laboratory glassware

Laboratory glassware refers to a variety of equipment, traditionally made of glass, used for scientific experiments and other work in science, especially in chemistry and biology laboratory....
 composed of a finger-like length of glass
Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
 tubing, open at the top, with a rounded U-shaped bottom. Often, the top features a flared lip. This is to aid pouring of a liquid from the test tube to a beaker
Beaker (glassware)

A beaker is a simple container for stirring, mixing and heating liquids commonly used in many laboratories. Beakers are generally Cylinder in shape, with a flat bottom....
. A distinction between test tube and culture tube is often made, calling a tube with a lip a test tube and one without a lip a culture tube.The test tube looks similar to a boiling tube but their functions are not the same.

tubes are available in a multitude of lengths and widths to serve a varying number of needs.






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Encyclopedia


A test tube, also known as a culture tube, sample tube, test flute or flaccid flute, is a piece of laboratory glassware
Laboratory glassware

Laboratory glassware refers to a variety of equipment, traditionally made of glass, used for scientific experiments and other work in science, especially in chemistry and biology laboratory....
 composed of a finger-like length of glass
Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
 tubing, open at the top, with a rounded U-shaped bottom. Often, the top features a flared lip. This is to aid pouring of a liquid from the test tube to a beaker
Beaker (glassware)

A beaker is a simple container for stirring, mixing and heating liquids commonly used in many laboratories. Beakers are generally Cylinder in shape, with a flat bottom....
. A distinction between test tube and culture tube is often made, calling a tube with a lip a test tube and one without a lip a culture tube.The test tube looks similar to a boiling tube but their functions are not the same.

Construction and uses

Test tubes are available in a multitude of lengths and widths to serve a varying number of needs. They are typically used by chemist
Chemist

A chemist is a scientist trained in the science of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density, acidity, size and shape....
s to retain multiple discrete samples of materials, usually liquids, during chemical procedures and experiments, and are designed to allow easy heating of these samples. Often, test tubes are constructed of expansion-resistant glasses such as Pyrex
Pyrex

Pyrex is a brand name for glassware, introduced by Corning Incorporated in 1915. Originally, Pyrex was made from thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass....
, and can usually be held in a flame such as that produced by a bunsen burner
Bunsen burner

A Bunsen burner is a common piece of laboratory equipment that produces a single open gas flame, which is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion....
. A boiling tube
Boiling tube

A boiling tube is a large cylindrical vessel used to strongly heat substances in the flame of a Bunsen burner. A boiling tube is essentially a scaled-up test tube, being about 50% larger in every aspect....
 is, however, preferred when heating samples for any length of time. It is used to hold chemicals.

Test tubes made from plastics are formed using injection molding. Injection molding is a process in which plastic is heated and then injected, under pressure, into a test tube mold commonly made from metal.

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